Please see “The Dip” by Seth Godin.

I would post references to specific articles about this in Vladville, but they all contain bad language.

http://www.vladville.com/index.php?s=the+dip

Work through the dip. See you on the other side.

Dam a barrage of hate mail and no one invited me to the Vlad Bashing Party.

For the record Vlad, we all know you are Bill’s illegitimate son and get 6% of everything M$ does the second year, but take the weekend off anyways, we still love ya:>)

Yeah, right.

I can’t get Microsoft to return a call, they have abandoned us in TS2 and somehow Vlad magically gets to reach AND offend Microsoft employees? Right.

You’re all in this together. Set of elite partners and SBSC leaders getting together to screw the little guys. Don’t count on us playing with you.

Microsoft has a lot of explaining to do and their excuses so far don’t fly. Neither do yours Vlad. You mean to tell me Microsoft magically decided to screw all us partners and leave OWN out just accidentally?

Come on!

Ok, sorry, I was one of the people too.

I am sorry if you took it the wrong way as it was not a pinciple critical of you but I have to make Microsoft know and you are my only contact that I know responds and works with SBS team.

My god.

You people are fucking morons.

No wonder Vlad loses his mind with SPFs you people make all of us look bad with your stupidity.

Please go wash cars or break soup cans or anything just not IT.

With this kind of profile in the SMB IT is it any wonder Microsoft is looking to take consultants out of business and deal direct with our customers?

This post makes me sad. I never want to believe that what you say about our industry is true, that there are unethical consultants or that term SPF should even exist. But then they come out and prove the point that we have a long way to go before we can be taken seriously. If it means anything I am really thankful for the podcasts and blog posts covering the event! Like most hard working people in the SMB world I don’t have the luxury of sitting around and watching webcasts because time is money. So to have an asset like you and Susan that can keep me informed without babying me.

P.S. I can see how some people disliked the visual but that picture was hilarious and quite true indeed. If it upset Microsoft staff how upset should we feel about it as we are on the receiving end of this?

OK now I’m a beleiver. I had my doubts when you said that you recevied hate mail and stupid mail. But there they are, right in the comments on this post.

Keep up the good work, Vlad. You have your own unique style and don’t change it for anyone.

Nothing wrong with straight talking.

The logo was a bit much, but sometimes we need to be shocked to get a clear message through. Only so long as we can get over our sense of offense.

“Be quick to listen, slow to speak and even slower to anger”. Good message for all of us.

Looking forward to more refreshing Vlad blogging.

Just be you Vlad. (Why in the world would we expect anything else?)

A carefully selected image is much more influential than a year’s worth of blog posts. And, the full meaning can be absorbed in just an instant.

Vlad,

I love what you do. Great podcasts, great blog, top notch. I don’t agree with everything you say but I respect you for saying it even when it may be tough to hear. It is that honesty that I appreciate that motivates me to grow my business to be as successful as yours.

I love your honesty. With as many people as you work at Microsoft had it never ocured to you to mention to them that S+S is a mistake that our clients don’t want? Did you explain that in SMB taking information off the network contradicts with the message that we are the trusted advisor that can help them contain and manage their data?

As brutally honest as you are and as well connected as you are I am surprised to see Microsoft come out so strongly against their SBSC partners.

MICROSOFT are offended? Really? How am I supposed to feel? For years they tell me that the SBSC is going to help me build my business and give me logo to make it more legitimate. Then they say forget all that, just take 6% and sign up your customers onto our service. We will still have SBS for you to install but we will also directly market the $15 replacement directly to your customers.

How can I be trusted when the partners I am bringing into the client are trying to cut around me?

Microsoft, you are worse than Dell!

Dell at least does not pretend what they are all about. Direct.

Sorry Vlad, I expected better from you. For this to come out and you to apologize to Microsoft for offending THEM? That is low my friend. You owe us an apology, not Microsoft who just screwed it’s SBSC partners for direct subscription services.

unbelievable! vlad does the most professional thin I’ve seen in a long tim and some of you consider it pandering. I assume those are all one man shops with no true partnerships and have NEVER had an understanding of economics. it absolutly amazes me what the ignorant masses will believe to help them feel better about their own inadequatecies. tell them to go pull the lever for Obamma and get it over with.

I call bullshit on all this too.

For years Microsoft talks about the Specialist program and how we need to be the trusted advisor and how there is opportunity in services and then they come out and say that they will deliver the services and we’ll just be trusted to recommend them for 6% or 18% or 12% a month for handing the clients over to them. Goodbye SBSC, goodbye Microsoft.

You are apologizing to Microsoft and some of you have the nerve to blame the small business consultant for the reaction??????????????? How dare you.

Vlad, I expected more from you.

You know there is a grain of truth in these comments. You folks pretend to be our allies, partners and friends but the second Microsoft offers a penny you jump in their corner and shift the blame on the partners. You are Microsoft’s harshest critics but the minute they add you to their payroll you turn the other cheek and become their proponent. Look at what Chris Rue wrote:

http://www.twitter.com/chrisrue
Holy Shirts & Pants! WPC08 freaking ROCKED. Anyone who intentionally missed it…sucks to be you right now.

What exactly rocked about it? That you for months kept on calling Microsoft out on mobility problems and the minute they paid you to speak at their conference you become their best friend?

Hilton, too!

I am waiting for days when Vlad, Karl and Schrag get the Microsoft MVP or PAL awards so that we can put all the public negativity towards Microsoft to bed.

You take little criticisms towards Microsoft to pretend like you are part of the small business space but when you poke a little too hard you crawl back into your shell, apologize and hide for a few days?

Why is Vlad’s blog the only source of any coverage of S+S and partner reaction?

What is Vlad so apologetic for and what did he do wrong aside from point out what Microsoft did?

Vlad apolgoizes to friends? Which friends? Which Microsoft relationships? You mean to tell me that Microsoft is strong arming Microsoft partners not to say anything negative over S+S?

Vlad, Mark, Chris, MVPs, PALs, you need to be accountable to this community if you are going to keep on asking us to go to your conferences, buy your books, listen to your podcasts, subscribe to your services. Support needs to be mutual and we need some answers. Doubt we’ll see them.

It is nice to know nobody is really representing SBSC consultant interests to Microsoft. Way to go crowd!

I just realized I wasted my time writing all this. I bet it gets deleted and ignored much like all other anti-Microsoft “images” no pun intended. Way to lead Vlad! Really, way to lead.

Wow..

Just wow..

You guys are fresh.

Someone goes out of their way to bring you the truth about what is going on in this industry at our level and you dislike it enough to feed him to the lions? Just goes to prove that the gullible sheep in this business only deserve to be lied to and milked dry. You fell for the Microsoft SBSC sales pitch when you should have focused on building your business not Microsoft’s. Don’t come after the respected people in this business just because you can’t run yours.

[...] and others are getting beat up for not being accountable  – http://www.vladville.com/2008/07/i-think-ive-strained-my-blogging-muscle.html#comment-34860 (and for the record Vlad is a MVP already and it sure doesn't stop him from the [...]

You are sorry for the picture? Why? Microsoft didn’t like to see what they have done to us?

This whole thing is Microsoft’s problem and it has already been covered six ways from Sunday. Here is the problem in a nutshell: Microsoft released an operating system that was not ready for prime time and was not supported by its partner community. Microsoft counted on its partners and OEMs to follow the monopoly inertia to the Vista success and it underestimated the advertising skills of its weaker competitor that destroyed its image. At the same time a shift in computing paradigm happened at the helm of an unlikely company that sells advertising and devalues Microsoft’s key assets in business productivity and communications. When Microsoft realized it could no longer solely depend on its partners to do its bidding it had no choice but to turn on them. Of course Microsoft could have spent some money on advertising, built a more solid operating system, improved its mobility and communications stack, reduced pricing, simplified licensing or embraced the change in the computing paradigm with incentives instead of a railgun…

But it is what it is and if you are upset by the accelerated extinction of network infrastructure competency just wait for PDC and Mesh where Microsoft will likely announce the head-to-head model against the very ISVs that proved the solution concepts in the first place.

To those of us that have been in this industry for more than 3 years this is the same old Microsoft and they will not change so we must.

If a cheeky image was all it took to make you realize that then Vlad has more than done his service. And likely put his head on the line on the process. If you can’t respect that I feel sorry for you.

..b

Wasn’t planning to comment on this, but since I’ve been called out by name by Anonymous Coward, I’ll just restate my position for the record …

Can someone please explain to me exactly what has changed in the last week? It was our job before to help our clients find cost-effective technology solutions to their business problems, and it’s our job now to do the same thing. How does the fact that Microsoft is now offering what other partners have been offering change any of that? Try the service yourself. Experiment with a client or two. If it sucks, don’t recommend it; now you’re right back where you started. If it rocks, recommend it and make your clients happy; now you’ve got a new arrow in your quiver.

If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at Apple for turning a toy into what could be a legitimate business machine and making us all go out of our way to learn and support something new.

BTW, anonymous, Vlad is already an MVP. I’m sure I will never be. I’m not quite clear on whether you consider that a good thing or a bad thing.

DS

Dear David, with all due respect a lot has changed this week. I was fine with Microsoft partners providing hosting services and Microsoft developing the software to power them. I have a few clients that are “in the cloud” an it is an offering that we can make money on.

My primary argument and disappointment with Microsoft becoming one of the “cloud” providers is that it is yet another distraction from the business of writing and maintaining business software. Even further it makes me wonder where Microsoft will be spending their marketing money next. Will they spend money in the partner channel and on promoting on premise solutions that go through an intermediary partner or are they just going to promote their hosting platform on which they do business with the client directly and receive perpetual renewal and licensing guaranteed not to mention full control so third party solutions like Blackberry and Connectwise can never play on? That is my problem.

Again, with all due respect to you David and Susan both this is not just another offering by another company that will go largely ignored. This is a bait and switch by Microsoft who has spent last few years convincing us to become registered partners, to become certified, to buy into the MAPS, to attend conferences, to register our clients with them, to send our financing through them, to bring our customers into Microsoft events. Now they are taking all of that and competing directly with us for the very customers they told us forever they will never compete with us over.

That is the problem. It’s not an opportunity, it is a broken promise done in a very sneaky way.

Long time reader, first time commenter. I too don’t understand what the whole hoopla is all about.

We have been testing Microsoft Online and found it unsuitable for any business use. The interface is clunky, the business model is really partner unfriendly, the support and feature portfolio is far too limited to be used and the bundle they offered just does not fit the business use needs for anyone but the most basic of users.

When Vlad started talking about OWN’s new platform I decided to take a chance and my god what a difference. First, the offering is in line with what SMB needs: full SPAM protection, 10GB mailbox, failover server replica in case something in the cloud goes wrong and a free SharePoint site one user at a time. OWN definitely designed a plan with the user and partner in mind, we can set our own pricing structure and make 50% to 100% profit on it in addition to covering our costs.

You really need to check out the OWN partner program if you are concerned about the Microsoft move. I do not believe there is warrant for so much criticism, Microsoft Online just seems like a basic solution not completely thought through. There is an opportunity here and you owe it to yourself to investigate it. What would you rather, be angry or be profitable?

http://www.ownwebnow.com/partners.php

http://www.ownwebnow.com/partners-application.php

Two of the best links I clicked on all week. Don’t buy into the “woe is me” downer, do something about it instead.

But as David said, they didn’t just start this week.

Software as a service was announced last year.

Go talk to your customer. Ask them if they trust Microsoft. Ask they if they want Microsoft to hold their data. Ask they if they want to send more money to Steve and Ray now that Bill is gone. Go ask them if they trust Microsoft.

No this will not be ignored, but I don’t see clients trusting Microsoft blindly either.

Truly do me a favor and ask your client if they trust Microsoft.

I don’t know that it matters whom the customer trusts, it matters that Microsoft is pursuing a business model that is in direct conflict of interest of their partners. They are also not simply providing a service like many others in this industry, they are taking ownership of the account which directly compromises the partner.

If the customer can’t trust Microsoft..
If the partner can’t trust Microsoft..

See what I’m getting at here? Microsoft did make a huge mistake with S+S and they realized that they can’t work with the partners on this initiative and that they can’t fight Google and Apple with partners. Let’s face it, big companies want to buy direct from Microsoft, they are not going to go through a middleman. So Microsoft puts a 6-12% commission in order to discourage partners from participating in the program and gets a viable cost effective solution for the small to medium business all while making guys like Vlad very wealthy by pushing the partners to his organization.

As one of the comments above suggests, Microsoft is more likely to fund marketing of the solution that they can own and completely control than supporting a massive partner community that only serves to increase the cost of a Microsoft solution when compared to Google and Apple.

..b

Let it all hang out folks – I cant please everyone and a few anonymous cowards taking cheap shots at me is not going to affect what I do, who I do it for and with thousands of posts here it’s quite clear what and where I stand on anything.

So feel free to go for it, take your best shot.

Vlad Mobile

Just got a link to your blog from an associate, what a fantastic resource. Excellent coverage. THANK YOU for all you do and representing the common sense in this crazy SBS&IT world. I hope Microsoft does listen to some of this. Keep fighting for us!

Patrick from Santa Ana

Buckets of tears! How many of you depend on selling Microsoft products to make it from month to month? Really!?! 99% of our daily work is done supporting our client’s BUSINESS NEEDS, not installing Exchange, Sharepoint, or even SBS.

If you really think that MS is going to steal your clients from you, then you probably deserve to have them stolen from you. In three years Dell hasn’t taken one client from me and I don’t expect MS to do it either.

Like the story about the dog that chases the car and then finally catches it… What is he going to do with it?

Now if Microsoft controlled the price of oil, that would be a whole ‘nuther thing…..

I love the fact that those within SBSC who weren’t EVER willing to engage with their main Partner Microsoft (remember them? the partner you make most of your money off) now giving people who were a hard time!

As one of the UK SBSC PALs you better believe I’m telling Microsoft to work with its most proactive Partners because I’ve tried to engage many people and they’ve never wanted to know and not just because of the S+S stuff. There is an answer if you want the limelight and free conference step forward – that’s what we all did!

Yes, I got my conference/accomodation paid for but I paid my own flights. I’m not going to apologise for it because I’ve put the effort in running SBS Groups, helping Partners get case studies published, passing on opportunities, running Sharepoint events to name only a few! I’m in business and so is Microsoft, it’s not a charity that will carry people who can’t walk on their own. I will absolutely look to get exposure for myself and business, but I work in Partnership with many people.

People like Andrea Russell and others at Microsoft are TOTALLY committed to SBSC. I was at the discussions this week at WPC Houston and also pushing people like Michael Risse, VP of SMB. I was in the Vista Focus Group this week with Hilton and he certainly wasn’t “selling out”. Some you guys just don’t know what you’re talking about. I have been absolutely open with my PAL membership everthing meeting/conf call is on my blog but frankly most people DON’T care!

As Vlad said keep the shots coming and we’ll keep doing what we do because SBSC is THE BEST community in Microsoft bar none despite some of the comments on this post.

Thanks to Vlad for doing what he does because whilst I disagree with him on some things, I’ve learnt to respect him tremendously.

Vijay,

This is where I am not able to make a connection when you say Microsoft is:

“TOTALLY committed to SBSC”

They cannot be totally committed to the small business specialists if they are building and advertising tools to make small business specialists useless. They go one step further to make sure by taking the account and doing all the billing and contact with the client so they can upsell them. Stories have come up over the years where Microsoft clients were solicited directly so if Microsoft has the account what is to stop them from taking my client and moving them to another partner?

I am glad I am not the only one that sees this as total betrayal by Microsoft. How can I be a trusted advisor if I am not doing any work for the client? Trust is earned. Microsoft will advertise that they earn that trust and we will again be reduced to just break-fix support from the SBSC locator.

Everyone pro-Microsoft is reacting to this emotionally and refusing to look at this rationally as a change in Microsoft business model that kills off the SBSC. Their “partners” will be Dell, HP, Toshiba and their service partners will be Best Buy, Costco, Unisys, Circuit city and the SBSC is just a small band of people that were used to build Microsoft trust in the SMB space and then farm it off to bigger and more profitable clients more closely tied to the Microsoft agenda of not letting in any third party software on their platform.

Can someone please address that instead of whining about how stupid and blind we are not to see all that you supposedly did on your paid trip to Houston? We don’t know what we are talking about? Then exactly what do you have to show for your trips and work with Microsoft? All I see is a death of SBSC and at least Vlad wrote about it long enough ahead of time let him have some good credit in this whole thing. Something with Dave Overton the link evades me.

Found it!

Everyone beating Vlad up needs to read this post that he wrote a year ago:

Microsoft’s Software Without Service, The end of SBSC and Why you should never partner with Microsoft if you wish to run a profitable business.

August 9th, 2007.

So if you are wondering why Vlad isn’t advising SBSC you can read about it at the post above. While the rest are championing Microsoft partnerships and telling us that we don’t know what we’re talking about when we complain.

I am still angry that Vlad wants to apologize to Microsoft.

Feedstr he put the sbsc logo on a p_rn picture. You have to admit that was a tad over the top and was unauthorized use of the logo.

[...] to Phili thinking about all the travel I’ve done this year, the drama of family, business, community the elections and what ever else my mind chooses to dwell on at that time, I happened to hit play on [...]

Yes Microsoft is changing its business model and infrastructure is going to be less emphasized in the future as only those with deep pockets will provide it. Go Vlad eh

This thread is very disturbing. Some of you make me ashamed to be a part of the program and to think of you as my peers. How do you make it through your daily life with this much paranoia and lack of business sense?

Please just stop talking and think for a minute.

[...] + Service Strategy, as many much more experienced and business savvy individuals such as Vijay, Vlad, Karl and others have already discussed this in depth. My own opinion? Microsoft had no choice but [...]